Welcome to Bludhaven
by The Pootamis
Summary: A sequel to A Hunter's Moon. A major deal is about to go down. A deal that could destroy everything that they have worked so hard to achieved. Not on their watch. Not in their city. Not with a hunter's moon shining brightly down upon them.


**Welcome to Bludhaven**

The very first thing every man,woman,and child would see whenever they get off from the highway. A message that would often bring a smile to the driver's face. But only for a little while before they would learn the truth. The harsh truth that everyone would learn at one point or another. This was not a city to raise a family in. This was not a city to make a name for yourself in. No this city is nothing but a breeding ground. A breeding ground filled with nothing but crime around every corner. Around every alleyway. Behind every convenience store. A city where truly the corrupt ran things. Where mobs and gangs of the worst kinds run free with none daring to ever oppose them. Not the police. Not the citizens that call Bludhaven their home. Nobody. That is until two heroes had emerged. Two heroes that have changed everything around. Heroes whose names are feared. Heroes that with a mere glimpse would send gang members and thugs running. If they could get that far anyways.

A city now that has changed a great deal. No drug deals could be seen at night. Not unless the thugs were desperate. No sort of gang activity could be seen unless it was behind closed doors with word of such meetings being lip sealed. But for some? Some didn't listen. Some didn't care. Didn't care if they were being watched. Didn't care if there was a chance a few could get in the way of their plans. And those people have been dealt with. Have been put behind bars. All except one. One man that could be seen standing on the top floor of the tallest building in the city looking down from his advantage point. Looking down towards the city through his large office window with only a faint reflection. With a faint glimpse of his face. A face that hasn't been seen for so long. Not since he had been scarred. A gruesome injury that has made him don a mask ever since. A mask that has given him a new name. A name that can be heard on the streets. A name that would cause a cold chill to run up the spines of any that dare speak the name. That dare discuss the name.

Black Mask. The crime lord of Bludhaven. That is what he liked to refer to himself as anyways. Any deals. Any drug deals. Any weapon deals. Any sort of business had to be run through him. If it wasn't? If someone thought to do some under the counter dealing? Well they would be dealt with. They would no longer be in business. They would never be seen or heard of again. Along with their clients. It was nothing personal. It was just business. A crime lord that now awaits word. Awaits word on his latest shipment that should be arriving any second. An oversea's shipment that is scheduled to arrive on the docks at twelve o'clock sharp and not a second over. His biggest shipment to date. A shipment that would bring home a total of fifty million dollars. Such a shipment that he wouldn't tolerate any mistakes. Wouldn't tolerate failure. Not with this much money on the line. Not with his reputation on the line. And he has made the necessary arrangements. Added security including his own personal guards. Every single crooked cop paid off in advance and given strict orders to not allow any officer to interfere.

Now all he had to do was deal with them. Bludhaven's protectors. Two unique heroes that have given him a fair share of headaches over the years. Has cost him over two hundred million dollars worth of merchandise. Two hundred million dollars worth of weapons. Two hundred million dollars worth of drugs. Heroes that needed to be dealt with. Needed to be killed once and for all. And he knew just the thing. His ace in the hole. His hired gun of the evening. A gun that wasn't cheap. And yet wasn't hard to convince to take the job. He too had a grudge against a certain bat from Gotham City. Who better to take it out on than his former pupil. A sinister plan that just makes Black Mask's lips curl up into a twisted grin underneath his mask as his eyes remain trained on the city down below.

* * *

_It's quiet. Too quiet._

The intel they had received was indeed right. A shipment was indeed heading this way. The evidence was right there in front of their eyes to see. The increased activity on the docks. The numerous patrols taking place from heavily armored men equipped with automatic weapons. A scene that would scare any others from even approaching. Would cause doubt to enter the minds of any other. Luckily for them then that they are different. They are truly different than any other hero that dons a mask. And this shipment would prove no different.

Not even the slightest as Huntress lowers down the binoculars from her eyes and keeps her eyes trained on the first patrol that she sees near some container units. Three thugs that meet up out of sight before returning back to their posts. A patrol that takes three minutes and five seconds to complete at their current speed. But it would only take her five seconds to down each of them with a bolt from her trusty crossbow. Maybe even less if she wanted to prove a point. But the main prize has yet to arrive. A shipment containing fifty million dollars worth of drugs. Drugs that will never make it to the streets. That she would make sure of. Along with the man by her side. A young hero that too lowers the binoculars in his hands to zone in on the patrol closest to him. A man that with each passing day she can't help but get closer to. Especially since that night. The night she had to save him from becoming what he hates the most. A night that she would never forget. Never forget how that had been the night that he had captured her heart. Truly captured her heart forever.

" I don't like this. Something seems….off."

Unable to help herself from nodding her head in agreement paying a glance over to her side reaching out gently Huntress takes Nightwing's gloved hand within her own and gives it a gentle squeeze.

" I know but it has to be done. We'll deal with whatever surprises may be in store for us down there when they happen."

Hearing a sigh escape his lips as his head bows down for a split moment a frown comes across Huntress's face before it is wiped away as she lets go of his hand to reach back to grab a hold of her crossbow. A crossbow that she takes no time in loading a bolt inside and cocks it back before she glances back towards him with a smirk.

" Come on bird boy. Time to get to work."

Instantly as his eyes go wide just as he snaps his head up suddenly Nightwing's eyes get even wider when he finds Huntress no longer by his side. In fact as he looks around to find her already a good distance away with a thug already downed shaking his head in amusement grabbing a hold of his escrima sticks instantly he leaps down from his advantage point into the darkness.

Keeping her aim true making sure to keep her footsteps as silent as possible hearing the sound of an approaching footsteps coming from around the corner leaning her shoulder up against the storage container after a few seconds the moment she sees a glimpse of a thug's head in a sudden motion rearing back Huntress smashes the back of her crossbow across the thug's face causing him to instantly drop with his weapon going flying into the ground with a clang. A clang that is quickly followed by a thud when with a twirl she rears back on the trigger sending a bolt soaring through the air that lands clean into the chest of a shocked thug that barely brings his eyes up to meet her own. A thug that she doesn't pay a second glance at when she loads her crossbow once again before she turns and silently makes her way through an opening in between two storage containers.

Remaining perfectly still on top of his advantage point making sure to keep a close eye on each of his targets as he watches them slowly converse and talk silently amongst themselves in a feat of pure athleticism Nightwing leaps off from a storage container in a flip landing directly in the middle of the gathered thugs before without any delay he swings the escrima stick in his right hand landing a clean shot against the thug standing across from him causing a sickening crunch to be heard when metal meets flesh. A crunch that is followed by another when he twirls around smashing the escrima stick in his left hand across the side of the head of another thug dropping it instantly before he rears and kicks the automatic weapon that had started to rise up his way by the remaining thug. A sudden motion that causes the thug's eyes to wide before his world goes black when an escrima stick lands clean against the side of his head causing his body to twirl around in the air and land face first on the ground with a thud.

Pulling her finger back off from the trigger reaching back loading another bolt into her crossbow hearing the sound of a loud horn in the distance quickly hiding behind a corner chancing a glance around the corner as she looks out into the horizon to see a rather large boat heading towards the docks just as she turns her head away suddenly Huntress's eyes widen when she notices a red dot suddenly appearing on her chest. A dot that moment it appears makes her roll forward a split second before the sound of a clang riquoting off the storage container behind her echoes through the air. A sniper got the drop on her. No doubt about it. But how? Nobody has ever got the drop on her before. Never has anyone got the drop on her that she has allowed. So who is this mysterious sniper and where is his nest? Where is his hidey hole? Questions that echo through her mind as she keeps her feet moving through the openings in front of her following as if on instinct where she felt the shot had come from. Whoever they are. Whoever dared to take a shot at her, they would pay. They would pay with their life. She would make sure of it.

Blocking a poorly thrown haymaker easily with his forearm with lighting fast speed Nightwing sweeps the thug in front of him off from their feet and smashes his escrima stick across their chest in a slash motion. Another thug that is down for the count before he turns and delivers a swift kick to the head of another that tries to reach for his automatic weapon on the ground. Another patrol that has been easily taken care of. But then he hears it. The sound of a bang. A bang coming from a high powered rifle. A sniper rifle if he knew any better. Such a gunshot that makes his eyes widen before he takes off running gripping his escrima sticks tightly. Takes off as fast as his legs will take him daring anybody to get in his way. Daring any thug to emerge. Thugs that don't get the message when they appear in his path. A path that is cleared when Nightwing propels himself off the side of a storage container delivering a swift strike with his escrima stick that lands clean against one thug before with a twirl he delivers a spinning heel kick that takes out another.

Dodging another bullet that just smacks up with a thunderous bang against the storage container that she had just passed not daring to stop releasing a hold of another bolt out from her crossbow that lands clean against another thug that appears in her path without having a chance to react suddenly Huntress feels herself soaring through the air when an arm wraps firmly around her waist. An arm belonging to Nightwing as he glides them through the air across a line from his grapple gun soaring over a couple of storage containers before landing down behind another one as he returns the line back to his gun. Snapping her head to look his way with a growl Huntress gritts out.

" I had the situation under control."

" Off course you did dear."

Narrowing her eyes dangerously at him loading another bolt into her crossbow in a sudden motion reaching out Huntress turns Nightwing's head towards her with her free hand and crashes her lips to his own.

" We'll talk about this later."

Seeing the message has been received loud and clear by the way he nods his head slightly with a faint smirk coming across her face readying her crossbow instantly Huntress pulls away and takes the lead pointing her crossbow forward while she hears Nightwing following behind her a distance away. Following as her eyes glance around her surroundings. Glance around looking for any sort of red dot. Looking for any sort of red line that would lead them back to the shooter. A shooter that has to have a high point. They just had to. There was no way they should have been able to keep track of her. But where? Where is their nest? A question running through Nightwing's mind as well as he silently follows after her. That is until he comes to a stop the moment he sees her pause. Sees her pause and look up finding a red dot on a nearby storage until. A faint dot that is moving across the storage unit. A dot that he stares at with shock before he turns back towards her only for his eyes to widen when he sees her advancing. Advancing forward silently watching the dot like a hawk. No not like a hawk. Like a hunter. A hunter stalking its prey. A hunter that doesn't make a sound. A hunter that just focuses in on the dot with her aim never wavering showing just what she is thinking. Just showing what she was planning to do. She would test this sniper. Test to see who is faster. His trigger finger or her own. An armor piercing bullet or a bolt.

Keeping her steps silent and her head ducked down approaching the dot as she comes to a point where a clear opening between two storage containers is seen quickly backing up against the storage container closest to her closing her eyes taking a long deep breathe after a few seconds instantly Huntress emerges from her hiding spot rolling across the ground snapping up into a kneeling position with a twirl aiming her crossbow upward. Aiming towards a clear red line coming from a nearby building. Coming from a scope barely seen through the darkness. A scope that shines for a brief moment as it turns. As it's handler turns the rifle towards his target. A target that is faster than him to the moment. Faster than him to the trigger before his world goes black. When a bolt pierces through the scope and straight through his skull causing his head to snap back and the rifle in his hands to go soaring downward and come crashing down onto the ground with a loud clang.


End file.
